The present invention relates in general to methods and apparatus for forming conformable garments having selected discrete elasticized areas on a high speed production basis, and to conformable garments produced thereby; and, more particularly, to forming conformable garments such, for example, as disposable diapers having discrete elasticized areas by stretching a thermoplastic elastomeric material, immobilizing the stretched material in its extended condition, heat treating selected spaced areas of the stretched elastomeric material while in the immobilized extended condition so as to "kill" the elastic properties of the heat treated zones, transferring the immobilized extended material toward a continuously moving web, and affixing the immobilized extended material to the continuous web at production speeds sufficient to produce in excess of 250 diapers per minute while maintaining both the heated non-elasticized zones and the non-heated elasticized zones of the material immobilized with respect to both the transferring means and the continuous moving web. Alternatively, the stretched elastic material in its extended condition may be bonded to the continuously moving web and then heat treated in selected spaced areas to "kill" the elastic properties of the heat treated zones. In the preferred form of the invention, the thermoplastic elastomeric material comprises a urethane based material, preferably TUFTANE.RTM., a registered trademark of the manufacturer, B. F. Goodrich General Products Company, Akron, Ohio.
Further background of the invention and a discussion of the prior art is set forth in applicant's copending application Ser. No. 094,421 at p. 2, 1. 25-p. 5, 1. 24 and is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, reference may be made to Bourgeois U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,367; British application No. GB2 011 778 A and South African application No. 77/4456. While each of these additional references discloses disposable undergarments, diapers or the like, with elasticized leg portions, none of them appear to disclose a method of forming such articles with elastic material in which the elastic properties are "killed" in predetermined selected areas.